A standard has at least one pair of panels that are pivoted on each other by hinges and that are mounted in a guide consisting of at least a floor and a ceiling track. The panels are horizontally displaceable in the tracks, and each panel consists of a frame having two essentially vertical sides with a filling. The frame of at least one panel of each pair of panels is engaged at one side with hardware such as trolleys in the floor and/or ceiling tracks, the other side of the one panel or the one side of the second panel of the pair connected with the first panel by the hinge being provided with a directly actuatable latch engageable at the bottom and/or at the top in the floor and/or ceiling track.
This type of accordion partition is known in various embodiments for various applications. For example, conservatories are provided with accordion partitions whose individual panels consist of a wood and/or an aluminum frame with an inserted glass pane as filling. A different embodiment allows for partitioning a large room into two smaller rooms. Here, for example, a wood or drywall panel is used as filling to make the panels opaque.
When securing accordion partitions of this type it has been shown that by means of the trolleys, only one leaf is in unilateral force-fit contact with the floor or ceiling track. For this reason it has already been proposed—either at the opposite side of the panel, or also at the second panel that is connected to the first panel by means of the hinges—to provide a latch that is operated by a handle. Using the handle, round rods are inserted into the floor and/or ceiling track. Force is transmitted from the leaf locked with the latch to the adjoining leaf takes place strictly through the hinge. As a result, especially in exterior areas, the safety standard was too low in this design.